JP 2012-141265 A discloses a distance measuring apparatus using scanning laser light that projects and scans laser light from a laser light source toward the surface of an object to be measured using a galvanometer mirror as a light deflecting device at preliminarily set light projection timing and detects reflected light that is scanned on and reflected off the surface of the object to be measured by a light receiving part. The distance measuring apparatus is to measure the distance to the surface of the object to be measured on the basis of a time difference between the light projection timing of the laser light source and the light receiving timing of the reflected light by the light receiving part.